In a stunning upset, Ireland ended a nine-match losing streak to secure their historic first-ever T20I win over India with a comfortable 34-run triumph in Belfast on June 26.
Ireland stun India for first-ever win over Men in Blue
Chasing 183, the visiting side collapsed under relentless pressure during Shreyas Iyer’s debut match as full-time captain. India's star-studded batting lineup fell apart in the face of a disciplined Irish bowling attack, slumping to a disastrous 100/6. Key players failed to find their footing as Sanju Samson (5), Tilak Varma (19), skipper Iyer (3), Ishan Kishan (1), and Washington Sundar (9) were all dismissed cheaply. One of the architects of Ireland's win was Rajasthan-born Jay Moondra who notched a brilliant 2/26. Matthew Holland and Matthew Humphreys also chipped in three-fers apiece.
Opener Abhishek Sharma provided the solitary resistance for the Men in Blue, anchoring one end with a fighting half-century. However, his departure for 50 triggered another slide. Despite a brief 25-run cameo from Shivam Dube to keep mathematical hopes alive, India’s lower order disintegrated from 100/6 to 137/8 in rapid succession. The tail offered little resistance, and with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana being the final wickets to fall, the Indian innings was wrapped up for a meager 148, handing the hosts a famous, emotional victory.
Lorcan Tucker leads from the front for Ireland
Earlier, a resilient batting effort led by captain Lorcan Tucker and a late-innings blitz from Gareth Delany propelled Ireland to a competitive total of 182/9. After being asked to bat first, the hosts endured a turbulent start and were reeling at 51/4. However, Tucker anchored the innings with a well-crafted 50 off 36 balls, sparking a recovery alongside Delany, who narrowly missed out on a half-century with a fiery 32-ball 49. Together, their counter-attack breathed life back into the Irish innings, highlighted by a blistering 49-run sixth-wicket partnership off just 16 deliveries.
Ireland's top order intended to play aggressively, with Tim Tector and Ross Adair hitting early boundaries off Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana. The Indian bowling attack quickly countered, though, as Rana struck first by dismissing Adair for 11, courtesy of a top-edge caught by Sanju Samson. Arshdeep then removed the dangerous Harry Tector for a duck, and Rana quickly followed up by removing Tim Tector for 17, leaving Ireland struggling at 30/3 inside the powerplay. Shivam Dube further dented the hosts' progress shortly after, dismissing Benjamin Calitz for 15 just as he was beginning to look dangerous.
The rebuilding phase was spearheaded by Tucker, who single-handedly shifted the momentum in the 13th over by taking 16 runs off Axar Patel to cross the 100-run milestone. Though Tucker fell immediately after reaching his milestone, caught off the bowling of Rana to break a vital 64-run partnership, Delany effortlessly took over the mantle. Alongside George Dockrell, Delany dismantled the Indian bowling in the death overs, taking Washington Sundar for 19 runs before absolutely hammering Prasidh Krishna for 27 runs in a single over, which included a spectacular hat-trick of sixes.
India finally managed to halt the late-innings onslaught in the closing overs. Axar Patel broke the dangerous cameo from Dockrell (19) before Arshdeep returned to remove the destructive Delany just one run short of his milestone. A final-ball run-out of Matthew Humphreys capped off the innings at 182. For India, Harshit Rana was the pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of 3/24, supported well by Arshdeep (2/28) and Axar (2/33), while Prasidh Krishna had an afternoon to forget, conceding 57 runs from his four wicketless overs.